I recently started to read some of the FR novels that I haven't gotten around to reading yet. I just finished the Haunted Lands Trilogy and I loved them!

However it seems that the entire premise of the Unmaking shouldn't even be possible. It is my understanding that after the whole Karsus fiasco Mystra put restrictions on the Weave to prevent something similar from happening again. While the Unmaking isn't exactly the same, it does seem even more destructive if it can affect the Gods themselves! Mystra has the power of refusal and uses it on those who even research such spells. Szass Tam started his research into it a decade before her death.

I guess my question is shouldn't Mystra have refused access to the weave to Szass Tam as soon as he even started researching into it? Or since technically the Unmaking never happened, should we assume maybe it wasn't as powerful as Szass Tam thought?

I am probably overthinking it, but for some reason it's bugging me lol

You are over thinking it. For better or worst the Novels often break the rules one way or another.The best answer is some kind of divine force made things possible that PCs and NPCs can not normally do. However in some games the DMs also suspend or change the rules.

In your case indeed either Mystra was over ruled by a higher power or the spell was not as powerful as it appears.

Not much else to do with the matter except perhaps discuss how to explain it in games terms that might make sense to your players.

"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards.""Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding."After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first.""Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon

I've not gotten around to reading those books, yet, myself (just recently laid hands on the last one), but I'd assume that the ritual was allowed because it wouldn't work, or at least wouldn't work as expected.

It's been many years since I wrote the trilogy (to present dramatically a part of the changes that WotC had decided it waned to make to the Realms), but as I recall, Mystra has been murdered and so presumably can't thwart Szass's designs.

The question of whether Szass's ritual would have worked will forever go unanswered since it isn't allowed to cross the finish line. You'll notice that in the story, many knowledgeable characters doubt that it can possibly work. But they also think that even it's failure will have amazingly destructive consequences, and thus it must be stopped.

Thanks for all the replies, and your input Mr. Byers. I really enjoyed the series(and just started the brotherhood of the griffon).

I had a feeling I was over analyzing it:P I was just curious if there was an obvious explanation that I was, well, over thinking. I think that it makes sense that maybe it wasn't quite as powerful as Szass Tam thought it would be. Anyway, I am excited to read more of Aoth's adventures!

It's been many years since I wrote the trilogy (to present dramatically a part of the changes that WotC had decided it waned to make to the Realms), but as I recall, Mystra has been murdered and so presumably can't thwart Szass's designs.

The question of whether Szass's ritual would have worked will forever go unanswered since it isn't allowed to cross the finish line. You'll notice that in the story, many knowledgeable characters doubt that it can possibly work. But they also think that even it's failure will have amazingly destructive consequences, and thus it must be stopped.

Come on Richard... you can admit it now... the Book of Fastrin the Delver was secretly Leira in disguise, and she was having Szass Tam generate enough power to bring Mystra back from the dead.

I recently started to read some of the FR novels that I haven't gotten around to reading yet. I just finished the Haunted Lands Trilogy and I loved them!

However it seems that the entire premise of the Unmaking shouldn't even be possible. It is my understanding that after the whole Karsus fiasco Mystra put restrictions on the Weave to prevent something similar from happening again. While the Unmaking isn't exactly the same, it does seem even more destructive if it can affect the Gods themselves! Mystra has the power of refusal and uses it on those who even research such spells. Szass Tam started his research into it a decade before her death.

I guess my question is shouldn't Mystra have refused access to the weave to Szass Tam as soon as he even started researching into it? Or since technically the Unmaking never happened, should we assume maybe it wasn't as powerful as Szass Tam thought?

I am probably overthinking it, but for some reason it's bugging me lol

The thing is that we do not know if it would have worked anyway. Tam believed so, but he's not exactly a posterchild for sanity.

It's more likely he would have blown up a large chunk of Toril and that would have been all.